Fair-goers can make -- well, find -- a little money at the state fair

The Syracuse Chiefs had a little bit of luck hours before their game Friday against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

They got a check for $3,545.70 at the New York State Fair from the state Comptrollers Office. General Manager John Simone was there to accept a giant cardboard check from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and shake his hand. Simone joked they would use the money to buy some baseballs. Really, it will go to pay bills, he said.

He wasn't certain how the team's money ended up in the state's pot of unclaimed funds. "We're pretty thorough with our accounting," Simone said.

Statewide, there is close to $10 billion in unclaimed funds. Of that, there is $33 million in 229,300 accounts in Central New York, according to DiNapoli.

The comptroller handed out checks to four other Central New Yorkers at the news conference. The total amount handed out Friday was roughly $13,000. Sharyn Nieciecki Dwyer, of Syracuse, said she was going to spend her $2,334.89 on back-to-school shopping for her three kids.

To see if you have unclaimed funds, you can visit the comptroller's booth at the fair in the Center of Progress building or check online at www.osc.state.ny.us.

In other state fair news:

Lights still out

The marquee at the fair is still stuck in legal limbo. The giant light-up sign has been covered since 2007, when it stopped working. Instead of counting down the days to the fair, it simply advertises the fair and the Empire Expo Center.

The sign was built in 1990 by Dennis Kruegler. He paid more than $500,000 to construct it, thinking he would be able to generate money from certain advertising and then pay the state a share. But the state Department of Transportation said the sign was too close to I-690 for the type of advertising Kruegler wanted to do. So, he said, he wasn't able to recoup his investment. He sued the state for breach of contract and lost, but the case is on appeal.

Fair spokesman Fred Pierce said the fair isn't planning to do anything until the court clears the way and there's money to put something in its place. "People think of it as a landmark and we don't want to just rip it down without something to replace it," Pierce said.

Ready. Aim. Fire.

Want to hold a machine gun and press the trigger? You can at the fair. The New York Army National Guard's booth has four real guns on display for people to hold. There's an M240, M249 -- both machine guns -- and two grenade launchers.

"It's a big draw with kids," said Staff Sgt. Scott Dunne. As he spoke, a boy sprawled on his belly on the ground, looking through the scope of the grenade launcher. He pretended to fire it as his father took a picture.

Don't be scared by the loud popping noise near the guns. The National Guard also has a NASCAR pit crew simulator. You can see how long it takes to change a tire. But it's not because you need those skills in the military. The National Guard is one of the major sponsors of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car.

Penny pitchers

Mikayla Brzostowski, 4, and Molly Leonard, 6, were pretty sure they were among the richest people at the fair Friday. The girls had an entire plastic baggie full of pennies that they were hurling into the pond at the tiny state park on the fairgrounds.

They come to almost every fair, said their aunt, Marge Lucio, of Solvay. And they bring their pennies. "We must have about 100," Leonard said, reaching in for more. She was trying to get them into one of the miniature rowboats floating on the water. Plink. And then she did.

But she's ready to make a suggestion to the fair powers that be. It would be easier if they moved the fence so she could get closer.

The state gets the money that lands in the pond. No information was available Friday on how much the penny pitchers generate each year.